


See You

by orangegoist



Category: The Deer Hunter (1978)
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/M, Falling In Love, Guns, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-War, Pre-War, Rewrite, Romance, Russian Roulette, Sexual Content, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:16:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29881008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orangegoist/pseuds/orangegoist
Summary: What if Linda, who was dating Nick had a best friend Daria, who dated Michael
Relationships: Michael "Mike" Vronsky/Linda, Nikanor "Nick" Chevotarevich/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. Just Can’t Get Enough

My shortened work day was coming to an end, due to Steven’s wedding that I needed to attend this day. I took off my medicine uniform, hanged it on the hanger, checked myself on the mirror, straightened my brown hair, and left the hospital where I worked as an aspiring nurse.

I had to catch Linda in time to sit for a little while at bar where John worked, before the wedding. Probably, our boys would be there, playing billiards, as they always did after the work.

“How was your day?”, Linda asked me, when we left her workplace, on our way to the bar.

“It was good, and I’m glad that they agreed to let me go earlier today”, I smiled to my best friend, as we were going through the busy street of our small town in Pennsylvania.

“Of course they would, it’s Steven’s wedding today!”, Linda laughed, her blonde hair was blowing in the wind.

“Yeah, I should prepare my dress though, it’s in Michael’s and Nick’s place”, I opened the door of the bar and searched for an empty table, where me and Linda could sit and have some cider, listening to good music from the jukebox.

“Mine is at father’s place”, Linda said, when we sat at the table, ordering some cider.

“You know that you can stay with me if you need to”, I looked at my friend. She had a terrible issue with her drunken father when I had some issues with my family as well. That’s why I lived with Mike and Nick for quite some time. And, well, I dated Michael, so we spent some free time in their trailer.

I looked after it when boys were out for hunting and I would look after it when they would leave Pennsylvania for military service in Vietnam. This scared me a lot, I was afraid to lose both of them, they were my best friends from childhood and I loved them too much.

“Thank you, Daria”, Linda smiled at me, “But I think that I should as Nick and Michael about it as well”

“No worries, we’ll handle that”, I smiled back.

I wasn’t very talkative, I was more of an introvert, since the young age. Linda was among of my small circle of close friends together with Nick and Mike. She understood me just like no one else did, she was just like my sister that I never had. We both were raised in problematic families: my parents divorced when I was a child when Linda lived with alcoholic father; and from teenage years we comforted each other, sharing secrets, laughing about guys, walking through the streets of our small town, having picnics and spending some free time at bowling together with Nick, Mike, Steven, Stan, Peter and John when we became older.

Eventually, Linda started dating Nikanor and I dated Michael when we graduated from college. We’ve been together for a couple of years and everybody who we knew were waiting for us to get married, but we didn’t hurry for it. Me and Mike were fine just dating each other, the same thing I could say about Nick and Linda.

We heard a loud chorus of Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”:

“I love you baby

And if it’s quite alright

I need you baby

To warm the lonely night”

Both Mike and Nick sang these chorus, coming up to us.

“We thought that both of you would prepare for Steven’s wedding at this time”, smiled Nick, hugging Linda, when Michael put his hand on my shoulder and kissed me on my lips.

“We had a plenty of time for it, you, bastards”, I laughed, pointing at Michael, “Besides, my dress is in your place, so I’ll be back there soon, after I finish my cider cup”

“Should we be afraid of this intervention?”, Nick asked, looking at me surprisingly.

“She’ll be fine with that”, Michael laughed back, softly touching my shoulder, “Do you have keys?”, he whispered as I looked at Nick and Linda who were chatting about something. My gaze lingered on Nick, but then I turned my head at Mike’s sight and smiled:

  
  
“Of course, you gave me them”

I looked back at Nick, who laughed about something that Linda said to him. I loved how he laughed and I was afraid of these thoughts. Because, lately, I felt more than a friendship towards him and I shouldn’t think about it in this way, because he was with Linda and I was with Michael for quite some time. But I couldn’t help it. And Nikanor’s laugh and smile was something that always brought my attention to him.

The truth was, these feelings flared up accidentally, out of nowhere. Me and Mike had some argues and they happened from time to time. We liked each other, but sometimes we couldn’t handle our explosive tempers. Linda was the one who listened to me during these moments and Nick made me laugh and smile when he saw me in a bad mood after these argues with Mike.

And these “more than just a friendship” feelings to Nick were becoming more and more intense shortly before it became clear that both Michael and Nikanor were leaving for military service in Vietnam.

“Then I’ll see you there”, Mike smiled. His words brought back my attention. He kissed me on the cheek, but looked at Linda. Or was it just my imagination? I didn’t know.

“Hey, Steven!”, I shouted loudly, trying to shout down the jukebox, coming closer to my friend, who was sitting near the bar counter together with Stan, “Congratulations again! See you tonight, and, also, put my ten bucks which say the Eagles never cross the fifty in the next half…”, I added, looking at the match on the tv.

“And Oakland wins by 20!”, Nick shouted, coming to us, Mike and Linda followed.

“I get it, Nick!”, Steven answered, and then hugged me: “Thank you, Daria, and no worries, I’ll put them”, he waved my 10 bucks in his hand and then added, “I hope you’ll have a very pleasant time at our and Angela’s wedding.”

“Of course we will, mate”, Nick didn’t let me answer Steven. Then he looked straight into my eyes; and his beautiful green eyes were captured in my memory; and asked: “Also, Daria, will you be at our place in the next hour? I should finish waterproofing my hunting boots”

“You haven’t done it already, Nick?”, surprised Mike, hugging me, “You should have put that on last night”

“I know”, winked Nick, “But I have time to do it today, eh?”, he looked at me and I thought that I had a blush on my cheeks.

“We’ll see you boys later today”, Linda kissed Nick, when I kissed Mike.

”I wanna hold you so much!”, I heard Stan, Axel and John sang this line, saying goodbye to me and Linda, as we exited the bar while our boys continued to play billiards.

The day was sunny, warm and calm. I looked at the streets of our small town, which were illuminated by bright sunlight. The perfect weather for getting married. Few people were crossing the street, but I liked it. I loved the silence and calmness. I knew that it sounded too strange, but I loved our small town, the beautiful scenery, small houses and huge trees and mountains.

“Do you believe that Mike is going to propose you in the near future?”, Linda suddenly asked me, interrupting my thoughts, when I accompanied my friend to her house.

I looked at her silently. I wanted to get married, but I didn’t believe that Michael could propose me. Besides, for some time, I was thinking that I didn’t want to marry him at all. The truth is, I wanted to be with Nikanor. But he didn’t know about it. And wouldn’t know. I couldn’t even dare to tell him my feelings. And he was with Linda.

I tried to hide this nagging feeling behind my happy face and pretending that everything is fine.

“I don’t know, Linda”, I smiled sadly, looking at my friend, “I’m not sure about everything, actually”, I looked at her, as she nodded.

“Yeah, I understand you. I think that I’m feeling myself the same way. I’m not sure about Nick, even though we dated for a long time, just as well as you and Mike”, she smiled back. I knew that she also was arguing from time to time with Nick, “But I hope that we’ll figure it out, sooner or later”, she hugged me before she entered her house, “See you tonight, Daria”

“See you, Linda, take care”, I hugged her back and she disappeared behind the door.

I calmly walked to Michael’s and Nick’s trailer, lost in my thoughts, closed the door behind me and turned on the record player, getting ready to Steven’s wedding and trying to get rid of thoughts about Nikanor.

"All the things you do to me

And everything you said

I just can't get enough

I just can't get enough

We slip and slide as we fall in love

And I just can't seem to get enough of"


	2. New Life

I was standing near the mirror, checking my light-pink dress and my hairstyle in the reflection. Nick, who was half in the tuxedo, sat near the kitchen table, applying water-proofing to a pair of his heavy hunting boots.

The trailer was full of bachelor’s garbage, and my make-up items, with perfume and hairpins. I straightened my hair and caught Nikanor’s glance, who was looking at me in the mirror reflection. He quickly looked away when he realized that I had noticed him, but I just smiled a little bit, because I loved his accidental attention towards me, even though I was afraid that I was mistaken my thoughts.

“You know, this tuxedo suits you so well”, I smiled, turning at him, “It’s so weird to see you in it, to be honest, but it’s so good on you”

He smiled back, turning his glance at me:

“And you look so pretty as well. No, like, you always look very pretty…beautiful, actually, but this dress looks so good on you. Mike is a very lucky guy.”

I looked at Nick, then checked my dress and smiled with sadness:

“And so does Linda. You can wear this tuxedo every day, you look handsome, as always”, I laughed

“I thought you liked my red plaid shirt”, my friend laughed back, keeping water-proofing his boots.

“Yes, I did, but you look good in the tuxedo as well”, I smiled, trying to clear the table from my make-up items.

“Well, thank you, Daria Karenina, I really appreciate it”, Nick smiled, looking at me.

There was a pause in our small conversation which I wanted to break, but I didn’t know how to. I looked at him, maybe even longer than I should, so he looked at me and asked:  
  
“What? Something is wrong?” he looked at me intently, worrying as if something was agitating me. If only he knew my thoughts at that time.

“Nothing, Nick…it’s just, it’s so strange that you’re leaving…I can’t imagine my life without you…You and Michael, I mean”

After that phrase, Nikanor put his boots down on the table and looked straight into my eyes. His calm glance made me feel safe.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. Don’t worry about us. Both me and Mike are gonna be back to you”, he took my hand, when I was standing beside him.

I felt the tense which was growing between us and I moved closer to him as he did the same, but then I released my hand, because I was too afraid to let things happen so fast, even though I wanted to. I returned to the mirror, when I heard the front door open and Michael entered the trailer, kissing me on the cheek and straightened his bowtie in the mirror.

“You trying to look like a price?”, Nick asked, pretending that our dialogue with him never happened.

“Whaddya’ mean trying?”, replied Mike, making final changes in his tuxedo look, then he looked at me and replied: “I’m a prince for this princess”

  
  
“Daria looks like a princess indeed”, Nick glanced at me, winked at Michael and continued water-proofing his boots. I looked back at him, trying to catch his eyes, but my attempts were in vain.

Mike looked at me, then at Nick and added:

“And you should finish water-proofing them. We’re gonna hunt after Steven’s wedding”

“For Christ sake, Mike, Steven’s getting married in a couple of hours…”, Nick said angrily, then added, “I don’t know what the hell we’re even doing talking about hunting a last time before the army. Whole thing’s crazy”

“Oh, please, stop!”, I tried to silence both of them.

I didn’t want to think about Vietnam. Only for one night I didn’t want to think about all of this, because it was painful for me to think about it, as I was scared to lose both Michael and Nikanor. I cared about them and I loved them too much.

“Can we not to talk about Vietnam just for one day, please. I’m not asking for anything more than that”, I replied, trying not to worry much.

“Hey, it’s all gonna be okay”, Mike hugged me, when Nick lowered his glance.

I sighed sadly, neatly straightened Mike’s jacket and bow tie and smiled:

“Have you already packed your things for hunting? I will put them in the trunk”

“Yeah, I just need to check my rifle”, Mike gave me a bag with his hunting clothes, kissed me on the cheek and I exited the trailer heading to Mike’s Coupe de Ville.

The fresh, but cold air helped to blow away bad thoughts that bothered me. Steve’s wedding was a great opportunity to relax and spend great time together with friends. I kicked the trunk, put the bag inside and leaned against the car, looking back at the trees that surrounded the trailer.

I really loved the scenery that opened up, the trees and mountains, how they’re guarding Michael’s and Nick’s place. Forest always fascinated me and I enjoyed walking there when I needed to have time to clean my thoughts and just spend some time in the quiet place.

Just then, there was crushing and banging noise, which was coming closer to the trailer. John and Axel in their tuxedos and with hunting gear in their hands, headed to Mike’s Coupe de Ville, laughing and joking. These guys always made me laugh and I enjoyed their company.

“Hey, Daria! You look gorgeous!”, winked John, as I waved back at them, “Are Nick and Mike inside?”

“Yeah, they’re almost ready”, I replied, turning my head at the trailer’s door. I saw both Mike and Nick, who looked at us, when I heard a loud knock on the car’s trunk as Axel was bounding on it, trying to get it open.

“Axel, for Christ’s sake!”, Nick opened the door and walked down the steps towards us, wearing his fur hat and a camouflage vest.

“It won’t open. Where should I kick it?”, Axel replied, looking at Michael, who also came up to us, holding another bag in his hands:

“Here. Kick it here.”

Axel kicked the trunk in the indicated spot and the lid snaps opened.

“Fuckin’ A!”, he laughed.

Stan came up, also in a tuxedo, dragging a totally disorganized clutter of hunting gear behind him, three bridesmaids followed him.

“Hey, Stan, let me help you”, I took one of his bags in my hands.

“Thanks, Daria”, Stan smiled and then checked himself in the reflection of the car’s door.

“Give it to me”, Nick took Stan’s bag from my hand and held my hand in his for a couple of seconds, when I looked at him. He slightly winked at me.

“Thank you”, I just whispered, when I saw Linda’s figure on the back of the trailer, holding her suitcase in her hands, “Hey, Linda!”

I ran to her, Nick followed. My friend was confused and smiled nervously at us:

“Hey…”

I understood this glance. Her father lost control again.

“I talked to Daria earlier about it, but I wanted to get to you and Michael as well…you’re all going into the army in a couple of days with Steven…If I could use this place to stay, together with Daria, until you guys come back, because…”

“Sure! Are you kidding me? For sure!”, Nick took Linda’s suitcase as I put my arm around her shoulder:

“I told you that guys will be okay with this! It’s gonna be okay, I’m with you”, I hugged her as we entered the trailer from the backdoor.

In exact the same moment, we saw Michael looking at us, but closing the main door behind him, exiting the trailer as a beer can in his bag accidentally opened, spraying beer everywhere as other bridesmaids screamed.

We looked at each other in silence. I heard the sound of the train that rang out in the distance. There was something peaceful in this moment. I looked at Nick, then at Linda. They looked beautiful, just like they were always made for each other. I though exact the same way for me and Mike. But not at that time. From that day he seemed to be moving away from me. From our relationship. And I didn’t know how did I feel about it. Relief? Fear? Sadness? Jealousy for Linda who had Nikanor who I liked not just as friend? Maybe all of these feelings at the same time.

  
  
“I think it’s time for us to leave, the ceremony is about to begin”, Nick looked at his watches.

Me and Linda checked ourselves in the mirror for the last time, then Nick opened the door, and we exited the trailer to reunite with boys, who were laughing and joking outside, helping Michael to put all of their hunting gear in the car’s trunk.


End file.
